My Writing Process - Part 1

I've been asked to share my writing process today. I'm not sure why anyone would want to hear me write about writing, but I do love to write, so I'll share my somewhat strange process.

I've been writing since I was a kid but didn't take it seriously until high school. A wonderful English teacher told me she looked forward to reading my published works. (Sorry, Mrs. L--it took me longer than I'd planned!) Then there was the history teacher (I adored Mrs. R) who was sure I'd plagiarized a real book for my spring project until she talked about it in the teacher's workroom and my English teacher vouched for me.

Now I write romance, a little suspense, a little steaming hot sex, a little paranormal (coming soon).

For me, every story begins with a loosely arranged premise and an opening scene that's popped itself into my head due to a comment someone made or a location I was dropped into and couldn't leave.
For example, my hubby likes to go to trade shows (mostly hunting and fishing) and a few years ago, he took me to a gun show. I, of course, sent him off to peruse the wares while I hunted down the jewelry tables. With his credit card, of course. Unfortunately, there was only one and I was left leaning against a wall while I waited for Darling Hubby.

If you've ever been to one of these events, you know there are people of all kinds-mostly dressed in camouflage-walking up and down the isles. After a few minutes of no cell reception, I thought of myself as completely stranded at the gun show.

An idea popped into my head: two women taking their friend to the gun show to help her ex-boyfriend plead his case and win her back.

I pulled out the only piece of paper I had in my purse: a sticky note with a phone number at the top.
Many notes later, and a few brainstorming sessions with fellow writers, I had three stories, one for each girl.
I'll add to this tomorrow. 
Now, I want to introduce you to another author --Joe Parr.

Bio – Joe B. Parr is a North Texas based Mystery Suspense writer. As a native of the Fort Worth, TX area, his novels are crime dramas based in and around DFW. Residents of the area will enjoy the familiar sights and sounds. For others, he provides a virtual tour highlighting the area’s feel and diversity.

His current release, The Victim, is available in both paperback and ebook (Kindle, Nook) on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

He writes entertaining fiction with an undercurrent of social commentary. His books address provocative issues by introducing characters who provide multiple perspectives so that the reader is driven to explore their own thoughts.

In The Victim, those issues include gangs, media stereotypes and the racial tensions within the community. In Stolen Innocence (future release), he highlights the growing issue of Human Trafficking and its disproportional impact on immigrant and minority communities. 

The Victim is the first of the Detective Jake Hunter series of mystery suspense novels.

When two local gangbangers are found dead, who really cares? This 'who cares' case quickly turns into a high profile hunt for a serial vigilante killer. The body count and pressure rise in Ft Worth, Texas as local community leaders and media pundits stir up political discourse and racial tensions mount.

Police Detective Jake 'Cowboy' Hunter has been out of the field for six months struggling to overcome the on-duty shooting death of his longtime partner. His boss has an easy case for him to 'get back in the saddle' while breaking in a new detective. After all, it's just another case of bad guys ending up dead.

While he readjusts to being back on the streets, Hunter and his temporary partner, Billy Sanders, find themselves sloshing through the gang infested underbelly of Fort Worth as they chase a vigilante who has set himself up as a modern day serial Bernard Goetz. In the process, he has set off a firestorm of racially tinged political pressure by choosing minority gangbangers as his targets.

Between the piling body count and the media frenzy building to what’s sure to be an all-out war on the streets, Hunter and his team’s investigation leads them to suspect even the ‘good guys.’ Tensions escalate until Hunter discovers the media hype can help him outsmart the killer.